Pumpkins, Turkeys, and Other Spooky Food

The annual All-You-Can-Carry Pumpkin Patch takes place Wednesday, October 29 from 9am until pumpkins are gone at the at the Santa Monica Farmers Market, 2nd St and Arizona Ave in downtown Santa Monica. All-you-can-carry pumpkins for $5.

1. If the gloves have a powdery residue inside, turn them inside out and soak in warm water or wipe with soapy water and rinse. Allow gloves to dry, or turn gloves inside out, leaving the powdery side to the outside.

2. Prepare your favorite fruit-flavored drink mix and pour into the gloves. (Sugar free liquid freezes better than liquids with sugar.) Add enough drink to fill the gloves loosely but not so full that the fingers will not move. If you wish, add a few gummy worms to each "hand." Fasten the gloves tightly with a twist tie. Place paper towels on a cookie sheet and lay the hands on the paper towels. Freeze. When hands are frozen solid, carefully cut off gloves with scissors. Float hands in a bowl of punch for scary fun.

Tarantula Cookies Makes about 25-30 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 bag (8 ozs ) thin, short pretzel sticks

1 bag (11 1/2 ounces) milk chocolate chips

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Chocolate sprinkles

Small red candies

Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, combine the flower, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well blended. Gradually add the flour mixture and cocoa powder. Beat to form a smooth dough.

Roll a tablespoon-sized ball of dough, and place it on a baking sheet. Arrange 8 pretzel sticks firmly into the dough ball. Continue with the rest of the pretzels and dough.

Bake until the cookies start to brown around the edges, about 7-10 minutes. Lift the cookies from the baking sheets with a spatula, and place on wire cooling racks. Cool completely. Place the racks on sheets of aluminum foil or waxed paper.

In a double boiler (or the microwave), melt the chocolate chips with vegetable oil. Pour the melted chocolate over each cookie, and coat with sprinkles. Press in 2 red candy eyes on the front of the head.

Cook milk and flour over medium heat until thick. Let cool. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Beat together with milk mixture until creamy. Spread over cake. Write "Velvet" in script on the top of the cake with black icing. This is the most dramatic and delicious cake.